• Send visual report
Ski Italy

Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea) Resort Reviews

  • Resorts
  • Italy(234)
  • Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea)(Lat Long: 45.02° N 6.86° E)
Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea) Forecasts
Users Viewed Next:(Advanced)
Users Viewed Next:(Live)
Popular Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea) Pages
Users Viewed Next:(Maps)
Popular Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea) Pages

Visitor reviews for Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea) Ski Resort

Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea) Ratings

Overall: 3.9. Based on 26 votes and 63 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 3.8

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea) is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 4.2

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea) has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 3.8

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.1

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 4.4

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea).

Public Transport: 4.1

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea), (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 4.3

(1) No places to stay in/near Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea), (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 4.0

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 3.4

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea).

Ski in/Ski out: 3.9

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 3.6

(1) There are no child care facilities at Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea), (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 3.8

(1) Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea) relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 4.0

(1) There are no snow groomers at Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea), (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea) are groomed daily.

Shelter: 3.9

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea) is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 3.9

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea), it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 3.8

(1) Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea) usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 4.1

(1) The staff at Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea) are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea) are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 3.7

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 4.5

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.4

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 3.7

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.7

(1) No intermediate terrain at Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea), (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 4.2

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 3.1

(1) Not even a kicker at Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea), (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 2.8

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea), (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 2.5

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea) has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 4.3

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 4.2

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 4.3

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 3.1

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 3.1

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 3.4

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 4.0

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 4.0

(1) Overall, Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea) is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 4.2

(1) Overall, Sauze d'Oulx (Via Lattea) is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

Show all 35 ratings

Latest
Oldest
Most useful
Top rated
Lowest rated
November 08, 2003
Ady Keeble from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I have visited this resort several times over the last ten years and have to say that, in good conditions, it ranks right up there with some of the bigger French resorts. The one major drawback, however, is that good conditions are not always that easy to find. I have been to the Milky Way when there has been over three metres of the white stuff (1997 I think), but equally I have spent 7 days skiing on rocks and ice. The problem is that Sauze, along with the southern French Alps, gets its weather from fronts that move in from the south rather than across mainland Europe. As such, it is possible to sit outside a sunny Italian bar watching a huge dump fall in France whilst not a flake lands in the Milky Way! The region seems to have to rely on infrequent major dumps of snow for a good season, and these are often several weeks apart. Still, time it right, keep an eye on the snow and take a late deal and you will be in for a treat. It is fair to say that Sauze is not a great beginners resort. Not only are the resort level slopes a bit on the steep side, but some of the key links, most notably above Clotes, are prone to ice in the afternoon making the run home tricky on tired legs. But for anyone above the level of timid intermediate the possibilities are endless. Once you have negotiated the rather out-dated lift system to the main meeting area at Sportina, the mountain opens out before you. Get in and out of Sportina early, as the bowl here is the meeting place for ski school and can get very busy, especially at high season and weekends. This is compounded by the fact that the only route up from here is via two excritiatingly slow 2-man chairs. Once out of Sportina, the world is your oyster! There are some sweeping reds which lead down into the bowl beneath the Sestriere gondola, and the whole area tends to be less crowded until midweek when the ski schools start to venture farther afield. From here you can take a steep dogleg drag over to Sansicario, where I have enjoyed wide open motorway cruising on some of the best tree lined reds I have found anywhere. There are also great lunchtime possibilities here with one particular bar enjoying spectacular views across the valley into France. Be warned, though - the route back from Sansicario is via a steep black (to date still the only possible way back to Sauze) which I would not recommend to anyone lacking confidence or stamina. Another great day can be had at Sestriere, perhaps best done early in the week before ski schools clog up the gondola there and back. Keep one eye on the weather, however, as the link is prone to closure when the wind gets up and taxis back are not cheap! At the weekend Sauze gets invaded by the locals from Turin, who all seem to head for Sportina particularly when the sun is out. My advice would be to steer well clear of Sportina on Saturday, taking the Clotes lift instead and skiing the Genevris sector - I have always found this area deserted when Sportina is packed. The resort itself has always had a reputation for rowdy behaviour, stemming from a couple of high profile lager induced incidents in the late 1980's, and whilst Sauze is still lively in the evening it in no way justifies the label still attached to it. There are bars which are tailored to suit most tastes - I prefer 'relaxed' and Moncrons and The Derby fit the bill perfectly. Accomodation wise there is loads to choose from, but my advice would be to try for a hotel as close to the top of the resort as you can find - the morning walk up the hill to the lifts can be a real pain otherwise. The Stella Alpina is ideally located about 50 yards from the Clotes lift. All in all, a great place to ski in good weather. The Milky Way still lags behind other areas this size in terms of uplift capacity - the lift system in parts is positively pre-historic - but if you come knowing what to expect you will be in for a fantastic time.
November 05, 2003
Steve Moore from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
As a novice I found the terrain of Sauze D'oulx very challenging. Its not a great place if you are a complete beginner but with a couple of weeks under your belt its fantastic with vast endless terrain and gondolas linking several resort areas. The food was good and not too expensive. Didnt have any problems with long queue's but we did go mid March which is late season. The town itself is lively with plenty of bars and restaurants, and its only an hour and a half from the airport which is a major bonus. Only downside was the accomadation in the Gran Trun(First Choice Holidays) It was terrible and noisy with live music in the bar below untill three or four AM each night. I would definitely recommend Sauze, In fact Im going again in February!!! Steve
October 23, 2003
Andy McVey from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
To be avoided on Sunday due to influx of Italians and the queues are huge. During the week, access to Sestriere, Clavier and San Secario make it all worth it. Off piste powder can be found and in the trees can be excellent, Snowboarders may have to contend with long flat sections, so be prepared to walk a lot. Good place if you have had some experience on ski's, but the pistes are very mixed steep then shallow, which can be scarry to beginers. There are also numerous bottlenecks, both with lifts and on piste. On the whole, it is cheap, not so well though out, but not nasty, the range on the ground is vast considering all linked resorts. The main problem to me is the inadequate feeder lift system which can take an hour and a half to get you to the top on a busy day. The town is mixed old Alp and modern. There are plenty of pubs and restaurants and great night life, predominated by British holiday makers. In general I like it a lot, but then I live near so its only an hours drive up the road. It can take more than an hour to arrive at the top. The skiing is only really for intermediates. The